Video footage showing civilians, including children, being suffocated by gas was immediately circulated by international media. The TASS news agency cites a press release by Doctors Without Borders saying that the neurotoxic agent sarin “or similar compounds” may have been used.
Damascus blamed
Khan Shaykhun and Idlib in general are under Syrian opposition control. The opposition and Western countries have blamed President Bashar al-Assad’s regime for the attack. U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson described the incident as “brutal and unabashed barbarism,” calling on Assad's ally Russia and Iran to reign in the Syrian president.
Men ride a motorbike past a hazard sign at a site hit by an airstrike in the town of Khan Sheikhoun in rebel-held Idlib, Syria, April 5, 2017. The hazard sign reads 'Danger, unexploded ammunition.' / Photo: Reuters
The UK also accused the Syrian government: Prime Minister Theresa May stated: “ I’m very clear that there can be no future for Assad in a stable Syria which is representative of all the Syrian people.” Turkey had its say as well, slamming Damascus for the attack and warning Russia that the incident has jeopardized peace talks in Geneva and Astana.
Alternative opinion
For its part, the Syrian government denies having anything to do with the chemical attack on Khan Shaykhun. “Even during the worst days the Syrian military never used such weapons,” reads a post on the official Facebook page of the Syrian Arab Army. Damascus claims the attack was a fake, a provocation staged by the opposition.
A civil defence member breathes through an oxygen mask, after what rescue workers described as a suspected gas attack in the town of Khan Sheikhoun in rebel-held Idlib, Syria, April 4, 2017. / Photo: Reuters
Moscow shares the view of Damascus. Maria Zakharova, the official spokeswoman of the Russian Foreign Ministry, blasted the media for reporting that the Syrian government was behind the strike and also said international journalists were unfairly blaming Russia. Moscow says the Syrian Air Force did indeed target Khan Shaykhun on April 4, but the warplanes hit a toxic gas plant controlled by the opposition rather than residential quarters.
The UN and the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons have launched an inquiry into the incident. Both groups say the details of the attack remain unknown, according to TASS.